Jose Mourinho puts Paul Pogba in ‘long-term injury bracket’

Not the news Manchester United fans wanted to hear!

Manchester United fans’ worst fears were realised when their manager, Jose Mourinho, admitted that star midfielder Paul Pogba will be sidelined for the ‘long-term’.

“He’s injured. He cannot play tomorrow (against Crystal Palace) and it’s not an injury that I can have the hope like I can have with Jones or Antonio Valencia,” Mourinho told MUTV.

Pogba was in pain as he went down clutching his hamstring against Basel (Photo: AFP)

Pogba injured his hamstring during United’s UEFA Champions League win over Basel on September 12 and has been missing in action since then.

The club have not released a definite timetable for the 24-year-old and are reportedly still undecided whether the midfielder will require surgery or not.

Pogba is set to miss the October 14 clash against Liverpool! (Photo: AFP)

“With them, I have the hope to see them training and to have a positive answer. For long-term injuries, I don’t speak about them, so (Zlatan) Ibrahimovic, Pogba, (Marcos) Rojo and these players, I don’t think about them,” added the Portugese manager.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo were, until Friday, the only long-term injury absentees in United’s squad with ACL injuries and the fact that Mourinho has put Pogba in the same bracket does not bode well for the Frenchman.

Should United opt for a surgical option now, Pogba would realistically be looking at a return in mid-November, not before and that would mean he misses the Red Devils’ clashes with Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, among other Premier League and Champions League games.

In Pogba’s absence, United haven’t done too shabbily! (Photo: AFP)

Without Pogba, United have won all their matches and are topping their Champions League group and second to Manchester City in the Premier League table only on goal difference. The Red Devils will look to maintain their winning streak on Saturday when they host struggling Crystal Palace at Old Trafford.